With the winter holidays knocking on our doors, Romanian-Insider.com reviews some of the best places in Romania to spend the winter holidays. Plus, it adds a useful list of ski slopes in Romania, but before choosing a destination, check the weather forecast, as most of the slopes rely on natural snow. You can choose winter sports, spend some time in the nature, traditional holidays, uncovering less known areas of Romania or taking outdoors baths at low temperatures. Either way, let us know what your favourite places in the country are.

An area of 90,000 hectares in the protected natural site Nordul Gorjului, in Western Romania, will be protected through a project worth EUR 4.9 million, part of the European program Natura 2000. The area includes 45 natural reservations, among which best known are Cheile Sohodorului (in picture) and Cheile Tismanei.

Carola Grindea was a famous Romanian-born piano teacher and the founder of two renowned music institutions: the European Piano Teachers Association and the International Society for the Study of Tension in Performance. She developed a therapeutic method, called Grindea technique, a pre-performance tool to help release tension and achieve mental focus.

A recently – set up Romanian band called Rise Of Artificial (ROA) has launched a song which is currently on heavy rotation on Romanian radios. The song, called Ne place (We like it) is the first of an album which will include 15 tracks.

This week’s Romanian city is Targoviste, the former Wallachian capital and Royal Court located 80 km from the current Romanian capital Bucharest. It is a city where history springs from every corner, and its closeness to Bucharest makes it a great week-end escape destination.

Romanian band Vama has launched a song called Sarkozy versus Gypsy, inspired by the Rroma deportation saga which took place this summer, when hundreds of Roma people were sent back to Romania and Bulgaria from France.

As we are about to enter the party season, we are looking at the greatest party drink of them all – Champagne! It is very interesting how people’s perception of the French fizz has changed over the past 30 years. Once it was considered something only for special occasions like Christmas, birthdays and weddings. The reason for the change in attitude is that Champagne prices have barely increased in recent years, whereas increased wealth makes it relatively more affordable.

From the small market of Tirana, in Albania, Romania was an upgrade for Gianluca Carlesso. The first time he came to Romania in 2007, Carlesso was leading law firm Tonucci and Partners' office in Albania and was in Bucharest for a meeting with a client. He went on to join the Bucharest subsidiary of the firm, continuing his international quest.

Gabriela Adamesteanu is one of the best known contemporary Romanian writers. Her books, written in a colorful and colloquial style, have been translated into more than 10 languages, turning her into a bestselling author.

If you're staying in Bucharest on Christmas and/or on New Year's Eve and you're not planning to throw a party in your own/a friend's house, there are a couple of options to spend some time out in the town during the winter holidays. We listed some of them for you: Christmas lunches & brunches, New Year's Eve parties – feel free to write us if you're hosting a party or know of one which you expect to rock! You could also check out other events taking place in Bucharest in December.

With the winter holidays knocking on our doors, Romanian-Insider.com reviews some of the best places in Romania to spend the winter holidays. Plus, it adds a useful list of ski slopes in Romania, but before choosing a destination, check the weather forecast, as most of the slopes rely on natural snow. You can choose winter sports, spend some time in the nature, traditional holidays, uncovering less known areas of Romania or taking outdoors baths at low temperatures. Either way, let us know what your favourite places in the country are.

An area of 90,000 hectares in the protected natural site Nordul Gorjului, in Western Romania, will be protected through a project worth EUR 4.9 million, part of the European program Natura 2000. The area includes 45 natural reservations, among which best known are Cheile Sohodorului (in picture) and Cheile Tismanei.

Carola Grindea was a famous Romanian-born piano teacher and the founder of two renowned music institutions: the European Piano Teachers Association and the International Society for the Study of Tension in Performance. She developed a therapeutic method, called Grindea technique, a pre-performance tool to help release tension and achieve mental focus.

A recently – set up Romanian band called Rise Of Artificial (ROA) has launched a song which is currently on heavy rotation on Romanian radios. The song, called Ne place (We like it) is the first of an album which will include 15 tracks.

This week’s Romanian city is Targoviste, the former Wallachian capital and Royal Court located 80 km from the current Romanian capital Bucharest. It is a city where history springs from every corner, and its closeness to Bucharest makes it a great week-end escape destination.

Romanian band Vama has launched a song called Sarkozy versus Gypsy, inspired by the Rroma deportation saga which took place this summer, when hundreds of Roma people were sent back to Romania and Bulgaria from France.

As we are about to enter the party season, we are looking at the greatest party drink of them all – Champagne! It is very interesting how people’s perception of the French fizz has changed over the past 30 years. Once it was considered something only for special occasions like Christmas, birthdays and weddings. The reason for the change in attitude is that Champagne prices have barely increased in recent years, whereas increased wealth makes it relatively more affordable.

From the small market of Tirana, in Albania, Romania was an upgrade for Gianluca Carlesso. The first time he came to Romania in 2007, Carlesso was leading law firm Tonucci and Partners' office in Albania and was in Bucharest for a meeting with a client. He went on to join the Bucharest subsidiary of the firm, continuing his international quest.

Gabriela Adamesteanu is one of the best known contemporary Romanian writers. Her books, written in a colorful and colloquial style, have been translated into more than 10 languages, turning her into a bestselling author.

If you're staying in Bucharest on Christmas and/or on New Year's Eve and you're not planning to throw a party in your own/a friend's house, there are a couple of options to spend some time out in the town during the winter holidays. We listed some of them for you: Christmas lunches & brunches, New Year's Eve parties – feel free to write us if you're hosting a party or know of one which you expect to rock! You could also check out other events taking place in Bucharest in December.